Method and apparatus for preparing batches of textile packages for subsequent treatment



Dec. 6, 1938. R

D AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARING BATCHES OF TEX 2,139,553 TILE LITTLE METHO PACKAGES FOR SUBSEQUENT TREATMENT Filed OCt. 29, 1956 3 Sheets-Shet l Dec. 6, 1938. R, 2,139,553

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARING BATCHES OF TEXTILE PACKAGES FOR SUBSEQUENT TREATMENT Filed OC't. 29, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 mi, N E? 2,139,553 TEXTILE Dec; 6, 1938. R. LITTLE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PREPARING BATCHES OF PACKAGES FOR SUBS EQUENT TREATMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct.

mzzwzw .Fgyal Zjliie 4 Patented Dec. 6, .1938

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NT or-rice METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR. PREPARING BATCHES OF TEXTILE PACKAGES non SUBSEQUENT TREATMENT Royal Little; Providence, 1:. I., assignor to Franklin Rayon Corporation, Providence, R. 1., a. l corporation of Bhode'Island Application October 29,L1936, Serial No. 108,234

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for preparing batches of textile packages for subsequent processing treatment or a series of treatments such as washing, dyeing," drying, reconditioning and the like. I

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for expediting the assembling of groups of textile packages on supporting holders to form self-contained units Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus by which the several steps of assembling the packages on their holders are performed at different stations while theholders are supported in a substantially horizontal plane to divide the labor and prevent fatigue on the part of the operators.

Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for coordinating the assembly of the groups of packages into self-contained units a'nd'the mounting of the units on a portable processing carrier to simplify the handling of the packages and to generally increase the emciency of the operations.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatusv of the type indicated including an assembly turntable and a carrier-supporting turntable arranged in adjacent relationship and adapted to be rotated to position the assembled, package units opposite that portion-of the carrier onwhich the units are to be mounted.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the t me indicated which is of simple and compact design; sturdy and rugged construction, and capable of use over long periods of time'without requiring repair or re lacement of its parts.

Further objects of the invention are set forth in the following specification which describes a preferred form of construction of the apparatus, by4way of example, as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. lIn thedrawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus indicating the progress of the package assemblin QD- erations at the different stations on one of the turntables and the relationof the assembled package units with respect to the carrier supported on the other turntable;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of the assembly turntable viewed in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 and showing the means for rotating the turntable between successive stations;- and 3 is a longitudinal'sectional view taken on line 3'3 of Fig. 1 showing the carrier for the 14 Claims. (01. -a-1ss') package units mounted on its turntable in a pit below the floor on which the assembly turntable is supported.

In the assembling method heretofore used the holders are held in an upright position and a group of the textile packages applied thereto by sliding th m over the end of the holders. with this meth it is necessary'to hold each e in the hand as it is lowered on the holder to preto the yarn or. deformation of the vent damage package. As the holders are of considerable length the operator must constantly stoop or bend over to lower the, packages into position, and this f' results in loss'of time while causing considerable fatigue. After a group of the packages have been assembled, an end plate or cap is attached to the holder to lock the packages in position and form a self contained unit. when assembled the units are carried to akier and lowered into position to mount them therein. If the kier lslocated in a pit, it is necessary for the operator to bend over again to mount the units therein, thus entailing considerable physical effort and increasing the fatigue of the operator. Due to the unnatural position in which the be held to mount it in the kier considerable dimculty is experienced and time wasted in alining the end of the unit with itssupporting means in the kier.

package unit must In accordance with the present method the holders are first mounted on a turntable in either a substantially horizontal plane or Slightly inclined upwardly from the horizontal. The tum-- table is then rotated to another station where the individual packages are applied over the ex- 35 tended ends of the holders with spacers there- 'between. Due to the substantially horizontal position of the holders an operator may apply the packagesand spacers thereto while either standing or sitting in an upright position. Fur- 40 ther, with the present method of assembly each package applied pushes the ones ahead along the holder without damage to the yarn or defamation of the packages. Less physical eflort is required'and both hands may be usedin applying 45,

the packages which results in a considerable saving of time inthe assembling operation. When all of the several package holders located at the assembling station have been loaded the turnturntable is then'again rotated to transfer the .tabie is again rotated to move the asembled 5o" package units to a final station in the assembling operation where the units. are removed for transfer to the processing apparatus.

Instead of transferring the package units directly to the kier the present invention contemplates the use of a portable carrier of the type illustrated and described in a prior pending ap- 'where the package units are removed so that they may be quickly transferred to the carrier by merely lowering them into position thereon. The carrier supporting turntable is rotatable to position its unit-supporting means directly below the assembly turntable to avoid the necessity of carrying th package units around'the carrier.

A hinged p atform is preferably provided over the pit in which the carrier is located so that an operator may stand directly above the sup-' porting means on which the package units are to be lowered. V

Referring to the present drawings, the apparatus on which the packages are first assembled comprises a standard or pedestal 4 and a turntable 5 rotatably mounted thereon. The pedestal 4 may be of any suitable construction being herein ilustrated as a framework comprising angleiron legs 6 and cross-struts I. with a bearing plate 8 at the top. A vertical shaft or spindle 9 extends upwardly from the pedestal 4, being supported on one of the cross-struts I at its lower end and by the bearing. plate 8 through which it projects. The bearing plate 8 has an upwardly projecting boss l surrounding the shaft 9 with its upper face forming an annular seat I L). The turntable 5, which may be of any suitable form, is herein illustrated as a hollow cast.- ing in the shape of the frustum of a pyramid to provide inclined sides l2 with a bottom plate.

l3 fixed thereto. The turntable 5 is mounted to rotate about the shaft 9 and is supported on the annular seat H of the bossv H) with an antifriction ball bearing l4 therebetween. Upper and lower flanged bearings l6 forming journals 8 for the shaft 9 are attached to the turntable by means of bolts 2| extending through their flanges. A collar IS on the upper end of the shaft 9 holds the turntable 5 against movement longitudinally of the shaft 9.

Suitable means are provided on the turntable 5 for supporting package-holders H. As herein illustrated, the supporting means take the form of spindles H which project outwardly from-the inclined sides l2 of the turntable 5 at rightangles thereto; the holders H being preferably in the form of hollow perforated tubes which'fit over the spindles. Thefspindles Hare-shown as inclined upwardly with respect to a horizontal plane for the purpose of 'retainingthe packages on the holders H before the end caps are appliedthereto, but it is to be understood.that they may be arranged horizontally within the scope'of he present invention. The spindles l1 are preferably formed with threaded ends screwed into the inclined side's'l2'0f the turntable s. Notched rings l9 are" provided at the inner attached ends of the spindles for cooperation with correspondingly notched bases I8 on the holders H to be later described. As herein illustrated, three tiers of spindles are provided on the turntable 5, the

two lower tiers comprising five spindles each and eled pinion-gear 22 cooperates with the teeth of the gear 20 to rotate the turntable 5 to a plurality of operative'positions, the ratio of the gear and pinion being preferably such that the turntable is rotated through one quarter of a revolution at each rotation of the pinion 22. The pinion 22 is "fixedly secured to the end of a crankshaft 23 mounted in a pair of bearings 24 on the top plate 8 of the pedestal 4 and a bearing25 at the upper end of an outboard stanchion 26. The crank-shaft 23 thus extends outwardly'from the turntable beyond the ends of the spindles l1 and carries a crank 2! fixed to its outer end to render its handle-28 accessible to the operator. Suitable latching means are provided in the handle 28 for automatically locking the crankshaft 23 from turning after each complete revolution. As herein illustrated the handle 28 is formed with,a reduced extension or plunger-pin 29 rotatably and slidably mounted in the hub at the end of "the crank 21. The plunger-pin 29 projects beyond the hub to adapt it to cooperate with a recess 30 in the stanchion 26 anda spring 3| in the hub normally tends to press the plunger-pin into the recess. The plunger-pin 29 may. be withdrawn from the recess by moving the 36 below the floor on which the pedestal 4 of the assembly turntable is supported. The turntable 3 5 is mounted on a ribbed'base-plate 31 having a circular track at its outer periphery and a hub 39 at its center. A stud-shaft 40 is fixedly mounted in the hub 33 and has a radial flange 4| intermediate its ends which seats on the upper face of the hub. The turntable35 comprises a circular plate 42 with a central hub 43 and a marginal upstanding flange 44 at its outer edge. Ribs 45 formed integrally with the plate 42 ex- ,tendradially outwardly from the hub -43 to stiffen and reinforce the structure, being provided with upwardly-extending tapered portions adjacent the hub which serve as a centering guide for a purpose to be' later explained. The turntable 35 is rotatably mounted on the stud-shaft in which extends upwardly through a bushing 46 in the hub 43, the hub being supported on the flange with a ball thrust-bearing 41 therebetween. A plurality of wheels or rollers. 48 are journaled on casters 48 depending from the plate 42 of the turntable 35 to adapt them to roll on the track 38 of the base-plate 81.

araaooa The. turntable it is rotated by an endless belt it which extends around a sheave 5i on the flange M of the plate t2 and a driving pulley 52. The

pulley 52 is carried by and fixed to a gear lit jour- K nalecl on a shaft til rigidly held in an adjustable bracket or support '55 which ismounted to slide in ways W on a bed-plate all. The pulley it is adapted to be rotated from a manually-operable shaft to carryirig a pinion so fixed to its lower end and meshing with an idler gear til which meshes with the gear 53. The shaft 6% extends upwardly through a fixed cover or floor t2 ex tending across the top of the pit db and having a circular opening iii 'above the turntable tit.- Tne shaft bit is journaled in a bearing ht bolted to the cover 52 and a handwheel til fast on the upper end of the shaft provides for manually turning the latter to cause the turntable 3b to be rotated in the same direction. The movable support 5?: which carries the above-described gearing may be adjusted toward and away from the turntable to properly tension the belt 5% by plate 5?.

means of a threaded stud ht fastened to the support with a nut db at its end which cooperates witha fixed abutment or lug ill on the bedvessel. The carrier has a circular opening it in dii its bottom'wall for cooperation with the inlet pipe of the kier or other container to admit a treating fluid to its interior. Its upperflat'wall has a series of nipples IE communicating with its interior and provided with guides it: projecting upwardly therefrom, see Fig. 3. The carrier iii may be lowered into the pit 36 through the circular opening it in the cover Si? by any suitable means, such as a chain-tackle. electric hoist or the like, and is centered on the turntable by the edges of' the-tapered portions of theribs t5 on the hub it entering the opening it in the bottom of the carrier. The carrier ill is ported with its outer rim resting on the upper edge of the upstanding flange ii -t on the table 35.

Hinged to one side of the opening it in the cover 62 adjacent the assembly turntable 5 is a relatively narrowsplank or platform it'which normally extends inwardly toward-the center of the can'ier iii to provide a support for the operator. The platform it is bifurcated at its end to straddle the post it of the carrier fill and is adapted to be supported in horizontal position by suitablewheels or casters it on its under side which rest on the top of the carrier it. The

platform it is spaced above the top of the carrier it a sufiflcient distance to permit the upstanding guides it to pass thereunder when the turntable it is rotated while its hinges permit it to be swung back to -.inoperatiwe position in the manner indicated by the dash lines in Fig. 3. The apparatus having now been described as embodied in a preferred form of construction, its mode of operation will next be explained.

With the parts of the apparatus in the relationship illustrated irrFig. 1, an operator mounts a holder H on each of the outwardly extending spindles il at the station indicated by the reference character A. The holders H are hereih illustrated in the form of cylindricalperiorated tubes having annular flanges at their lower ends for cooperation with the annular seats on the nipples it,

the flanges being notched on the'underside do Y til through one complete revolution. To this end the operator draws the handle 28 outwardly away from the stanchion it to withdraw the plungerpin it from the recess 33b and thenv turns the crank fill, until the pin 29 automatically engages the recess it again to lock the turntable in position after the shaft 23 has been rotated through a complete revolution. The rotation of the shaft 23 acts through the pinion 22 and gear 2b to rotate the turntable ii on the ball-bearing it surrounding the shaft t. The holdersH supported in a substantially horizontal plane at the station E are now loaded with groupsof packagesP-by operators who apply the packages by sliding them over the ends .of the holders while' placing thin disk-like spacers S therebetween. 'Each package applied acts on the ones previously applied to and conveniently assemble the packages on the holders without fatigue.

When a group of packages P has been mounted on each of the holders H the turntable 5 is again rotated in the manner previously-explained to transfer the groups of packages to the station indicated by the reference character C. At this station the end caps K are screwed onto the ends of the holders H to retain the packages in posi tion thereon, thereby forming self-contained units I of the groups of packages. Due to the interlock-- ing engagement'of the notched flanges it on the base of the holdersH'wlth the notched rings it surrounding the spindles it, the holders are prevented from rotation while the caps K are screwed onto their ends. After caps K have been applied .to all of the holders H the turntable is again rotated to transifer the package units to the station indicated by the reference character D; it being understood that during the rotation of the turn table with respect to the various stations the op erators have continuously applied holders to the advanced spindles it at station A, mounted a group oi packages on each holder at station E, and applied the caps K to the end of the holders j "spindles it and lowersthem directly onto the supporting guides it on the carrier it at one side of the platform with a substantially continuous motion. Due to the proximity of the carrier iii to the assembled turntable tian'dthe fact that the operator may stand directly over the carrier, the

.' operation oi-transferring the assembled packare units is simplified and the time factor greatly reduced as compared with previously-used methods. When each of the supporting guides I5 on the carrier adjacent one side of the platform 18 mounts a package unit the operator turns the handwheel 64 which acts through the shaft 6!], gears 59, BI and 53, pulley 52 and the belt 50 and sheave,5l to rotate the turntable 35 to thereby bring an empty portion of the carrier into position directly adjacent the side of the platform 18 as the empty guides pass therebeneath.

The above-described sequence of operations is repeated until the first mounted package units on the carrier 10 have been carried around to a position adjacent the opposite side of the platform 18, at which time the platform is lifted in the manner indicated by the dash lines in Fig, 3 and swung back to inoperative position. Additional package units may then be mounted on the remaining empty guides 15 by reaching inwardly from the side of the opening I6 and lowering them into place. When a complete batch of .the package units has been mounted on the carrier 70 the loaded carrier is withdrawn from the pit 36 through the opening 16 and an empty carrier lowered into operative position on the turntable 35. It will be understood that the loaded carrier 10 is bodily lifted into a kier or other processing apparatus with the package units self-contained thereon to adapt the yarn to be treated while supported on the holders H.

It will be observed from the foregoing that the present invention provides a novel method and apparatus for facilitating the assembly of groups of packages on their holders and the mounting of the assembled package units in operative position for subsequent processing treatment. It will further be observed that the assembly turntable provides for a division of labor in the assembling operation which materially reduces the time factor and increases the efiiciency of the operators with less physical effort and fatigue on their part.

It will also be observed that the construction and arrangement-of the turntables with respect to each other coordinates the assembly of the packages and .the mounting of the package units and provides a simple form of apparatus requiring little or no skill to operate. 7

While I have herein described and illustrated the present apparatus as embodied in a preferred form of construction, by way of example, it is to be understood that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. limiting myself im this resp'ect,I claim:-

1. The method of assembling groups of textile packages which comprises mounting packageholders for movement about a central axis from one to another of a plurality of stations. applying a group of packages to each holder in tandem by sliding them over the end thereof at one station,

- securing the packages on the holders, and removing the holders with the packages assembled thereon at another station. J

2. The method of preparing textile packages for subsequent processing treatment which comprises mounting package-holders for movement to a plurality of stations, applying a group of packages to each holder in tandem at one station by sliding them over the end thereof, securing the packages on the holders at another station, and removing the holders with the groups of packages assembled thereon at another station.

3. The method of assembling textile packages in self-contained unitson holders and mounting ,tently movingthe carrier in a predetermined path Therefore, without the units on carriers for subsequent treatment in a processing apparatus which comprises moving the holders through a predetermined path to a plurality of stations, assembling a group of packages in tandem on each of the holders and fastening them in place thereon at a plurality of the stations, transferring the assembled package units to a,carrier at a transfer station, and intermitadjacent the transfer station.

4. The method of assembling groups of packages on holders to form self-contained units and mounting the units on a carrier for subsequent treatment in a processing apparatus which comprises moving the holders to a plurality of stations in a closed course, simultaneously moving the carrier to position different portions thereof adjacent to and below one of the stations in the path of the holders, assembling a group of packages on each holder and fastening them in place thereon at a plurality of the stations, and transvferring the assembled package units to the carrier when positioned adjacent thereto.

5. An apparatus for assembling textile packages-for subsequent processing treatment comprising a turntable providedwith means on which groups of packages may be assembled in tandem to form self -contained units, a carrier having means for mounting a plurality of the package units, and a turntable for rotatably supporting the carrier adjacent the assembly turntable to provide for transferring the package units from the assembly turntable to the carrier.

6. An apparatus for assembling textile packages for subsequent processing treatment comprising a turntable having means on which groups of packages may be assembled in tandem to form selfcontained units, a second turntable mounted below said assembly turntable, a carrier on said second turntable provided with supporting means for mounting a plurality of package units, means .for rotating the assembly turntable to position the assembled package units adjacent the carrier, and means for rotating the carrier-supporting turntable to position its unit-supporting means adjacent the assembly turntable.

'7. An apparatus for assembling textile packages in hollow holders for subsequent processing treatment comprising a turntable provided with means for supporting the holders on which groups of packages are assembled in tandem to form self-contained units, a second turntable mountedbelow said first turntable, a carrier supported on said second turntable and having supporting means for mounting a plurality of package units, a platform overlying one side of the for supporting package holders, means for rotating the turntable to a plurality of stations, andmeans for locking the turntable in position at each of the stations.-

. second turntable above its unit-supporting means,

- 9. In an apparatus for-assembling groups of textile packages on hollow perforated holders to form self-contained units, a turntable, means for mounting the holders on the turntable, a gear on the turntable, a pinion cooperating with the gear-to rotate the turntable to transfer groups of the holders from one station to another during one revolution, a crank for rotating the pinion, and automatically-operated means for locking the crank at the completion of each revolution.

10.'An apparatus for assembling a batch of. package units comprising a turntable, a portable carrier detachably mounted on the turntable,

,means on the carrier for detachably supporting a manually-rotatable shaft for actuating the gearing to rotate the turntable.

12. In combination, a pair of turntables, means on one of said turntables for detachably supporting radially-extending package-holders, means on the other turntable for supporting the package-holders in vertical arrangement, and

means to rotate the turntables to carry groups of loaded package-holders into position to .be

transferred to the supporting means on the secon turntable.

13. In combination, a turntable having means for supporting a plurality of package-holders extending radially from its axis, a second turntable, a carrier on the second turntable having means for supporting the package-holders in vertical arrangement, and means to rotate the turntables to locate the groups of the loaded packager-holders adjacent the second turntable and in position to be transferred-to the carrier. 14. In combination, a turntable provided with means for supporting a plurality of packageholders projecting radially therefrom, a second turntable arranged at a level below the first turntable with its periphery adjacent the pe riphery of the first turntable at one point, a carrier on the second turntable having means for supporting the package-holders in vertical ar- "rangement, and means to rotate the turntables to locate groups of the loaded package-holders in position to be transferred from the first tumtable to the carrier on the second tumtable. 

